Problem Gambling Statistics
Some hard numbers on the extent of problem gambling.
Gambling Industry Statistics
For a more comprehensive picture of gambling industry statistics and the extent of gambling harms, we recommend you view or download the report below.
Student Gambling
A 2022 survey of 2003 students in England, conducted by Gamble Aware and YGAM found that:
- One in six students have a problem with gambling.
- Almost half of them said betting left them unable to go out or attend their lectures.
- 48% said gambling had impacted on their grades.
- 57% said they had used borrowed money, including payday loans, to place a bet in the past year.
- Out of the survey of 2003 students, the poll found that the average student wagered £33.77 per week, or £1, 756 per year.
- Online sports betting was the most popular form of gambling.
- 500,000 13-17-year-olds participate in some form of virtual gaming in the UK. 93% of children in the UK currently playing games
Women and Gambling
- A recent study by the UK gambling commission produced some revealing stats on this topic. For instance, about 41% of female respondents claimed to have engaged in gambling within the previous four weeks.
- The Gambling Commission’s study shows that, in 2018, 43% of women gamblers played using their phone – a 5% increase compared the year before.
- Up to one million Women in the U.K. gamble due to stress and are less likely to gain help and support.
- Among women experiencing high levels of harm, two in five (39%) may refrain from seeking help or treatment due to perceived stigma, such as feeling embarrassed, or not wanting people to know about their gambling.
- The number of female problem gamblers in the UK has risen by a third in five years.
- The number of women treated for gambling has doubled in the last 5 years, with up to a million women at risk of experiencing gambling related problems.
Gambling-Related Suicide
- There are estimated to be two gambling-related suicides per day in Great Britain (about 11% of all suicides) – Gamble Aware source
- There are approximately 250-650 gambling related deaths in the UK each year.
- One in five problem gamblers had thoughts about suicide in the past year
- One in twenty problem gamblers had made a suicide attempt in the past year (2021/22)
